Intro - Invanity

As the stage lights dim once again up front, the crowd start to chatter excitedly among themselves, eagerly anticipating the next act who is about to take to the stage. Despite a quiet period between the release of her debut album and her EP, the release of the latter has certainly helped to reignite the fire that exists below the career of Katie Coyle. With a further two number one singles having been released since she last played Total Annihilation, the stakes have been raised for the 19-year old London native, and she returns to Wembley Stadium with the excitement at fever pitch. With a second album on the horizon, and a tour co-headlining with one of the world's biggest pop-stars, Coyle is looking to put the strains of a still turbulent personal life behind her as she seeks to elevate herself to a level even higher than she has achieved in the past.
"Tonight is a special one for me," she is heard to say before the show to MTV, "I haven't played a single live show since the last Total Annihilation, but I've been pushed up to second last on the bill. It's quite unbelievable for me, but I'm going to grasp the opportunity with both hands."

Out on stage, there are an assortment of roadies and technical people mucking around with mic stands and guitars, taping setlists to the floor, and generally preparing the stage for the gig. Throughout the set up, various chants go up for Katie Coyle, with the people squeezed agonisingly tightly in at the front of the stage cheering most fervently for the much-anticipated performance.
After a while, the roadies start to leave the stage, and one of them pulls a cord at the side of the stage, unraveling a massive curtain which obscures the entire stage from view. On the curtain is the album cover from Katie Coyle's debut "Raindrops, Caffeine and Other Liquid Stimulants," and the crowd cheer as the artwork is unveiled. Behind it, row upon row of TV screens flash on and off, displaying colourful light shows, before they all settle down, and the stage goes quiet and empty once again.
After another couple of minutes, the stage lights dim, in tandem with the quickly fading music from the PA, and a cheer erupts from the pitch at Wembley Stadium, carrying up into the London night sky. And then a song begins.

The song playing out over the PA is Turning Tables, the massive single released in late 2011 by Adele. The symbolic nature of the song choice suggesting that Katie Coyle herself is ready to turn the tables on a year which has brought her much personal heartache and difficulty. As the song plays on, people in the crowd below the stage sway gently back and forth, some holding their lighters in the air, as if attending some form of morbid candlelit vigil. After a while, the song starts to fade, and the stage lights shut off completely. Another vivacious roar erupts from the pitch-based members of the audience, just as the TV screens at the back of the stage burst to life, illuminating the playing platform.
After a few more seconds have passed, the diminuitive figure of a small girl, her curly brown hair bouncing softly as she walks onto the stage, arrives at the back corner. She pauses for a second, still out of the view of the crowd, and takes a deep breath before stepping forward. The girl is Katie Coyle, and the reaction brought about by her arrival on the stage belies her physical stature. Standing at just five-foot two, and weighing barely a hundred pounds, it seems quite obscure that the massive roar from the crowd is reserved for her. She smiles and nervously brushes her hair back behind her ears, as she walks towards the lead microphone, picking up her acoustic guitar and slinging it cautiously over her shoulder, taking care not to bang the instrument against her heavily pregnant abdomen.
Lifting her head, Katie smiles, her eyes slightly glazed over with tears as she tries to take in the magnitude of the reception, wave after wave of cheering, the almost constant flashing of the cameras. Even after the massively successful year she had had, she still never expected this.

"Thank you so much," she says softly into her microphone, flashing another nervous smile out over the crowd.



As she speaks, another cheer and a small burst of chanting breaks out, leading to her giggling slightly as she brushes her long curly hair out of her face again. Feeling how dry her mouth is, she licks her lips before nodding to her band.

"This used to be an angry song...now it's just a memory of a time gone by..."

Katie lifts her guitar, and four beats are counted in. She plays the fast strumming intro to "Invanity" on her own, before the quiet "shhhhh" which typifies the mood of this song. The second guitar then comes in as they both play the quick finger picking section which has the audience clapping in time, before another "shhhhh" from Katie.
The opener is dark and quiet as a song, but is played quickly, and Katie taps a foot energetically on the stage as she plays it. Curiously, instead of singing the angry last two verses of the song, she simply repeats the first two, no doubt in some sort of tribute to Miss Vanity. The fact that the two have made peace in recent weeks, following an angry end to their affair last year no doubt fueling her desire to cut out the spiteful sections of the original track. Much of the song is sung by Katie with her eyes closed as she really feels the emotion layered through her second single.
The smile on Katie's face is wide and glowing, as she hears the crowd sing the choruses back to her, and energetically cheer her on.

As the song ends with one long slow chord on Katie's guitar, followed by a quickly strummed section, the crowd cheer and applaud just as she turns away from her mic. She steps backwards and takes a few sips of water from a bottle, before turning back towards the front and smiling widely once again.

"Thank you London! It's so good to be playing here...back home again! Really, it is wonderful to be back on a stage again. I haven't actually played live at all since TA4, so I was massively nervous backstage, like hugely.
"Anyway, this next track is from my debut album. It's about a fight that makes me very sad to think back on. Everyone knows about my on-off relationship with Nicole Woods, and she died recently, which made me incredibly sad. Some might say that singing a song about fighting her is quite disrespectful, but this is where our relationship begun. If it wasn't for this fight, then we never would have shared a wonderful journey together. Sleep tight Nicole. This song is for you. It's called "Shattered Dreams".

As a cool wind blows the London night air, she steps back for a second, wiping a tear from her eye with the back of her hand. Her guitarist comes over and puts a hand on her shoulder before she nods and steps forward again, taking a deep breath.
Katie strums her guitar once and counts in four beats, before a loud single drum beat heralds the start of a frantically sad sounding guitar and keyboard riff, which Katie strums along to, both she and her keyboardist illuminated against the darkened stage by matching spotlights. Just then, the TV screens behind her flash a variety of shades of pinks and purples, illuminating the stage gloriously.
The rest of the track is a slow effort, and Katie sits down on a stool as she sings the slow parts, standing only to sing the highly popular fighting narrative of the chorus. Katie revels in these moments, and a huge flash of pink from the screens behind her signals the rapid change in music at each point when the chorus is about to start. The speed change causes quite a furore each time in the crowd as people chant along and cheer and bounce up and down. Finally, the lights at the back go out, just after the end of the last verse, and the stage is in darkness, and silence. And then, just at that point, a spotlight flashes on, showing a lone Katie and her guitar. This is a poignant moment for her, because "just me and my guitar" had always been Katie's dream for her debut album, a dream which had been snatched away by violence. And now here she was, standing on the biggest stage of all, just her and her guitar, lamenting that moment, revelling in the fact that she had fought so hard to bring her dream back and make it a reality.
It was almost sexually ironic, such was the glorious beauty of it. There was to be no accompaniment from her band at this point. Katie slowly strummed her guitar, so quietly it sounded like a whisper in the hushed night. She sung as sweetly as she could, her haunting voice strolling slowly through the last chorus. She then soaked up the adoration as she played a slow finger picked chord outro to the song, and the lights came back on.

Smash! Bang! Once you came in
Katie what you're doing's all such a sin
Knocked down! Don't get back up!
What I'm doing here, it's not a hiccup

Thump! Slap! Look at you bitch
Head is spinning I don't know
which way is which
My dreams are shattered by you
Yes my world was shattered by you

"Thank you every single person out there," Katie said, as she looked out over the crowd with a tear in her eye. "That really meant quite a lot to me. It really did." She took off her guitar and handed it to a roadie at the side of the stage.
"So...last year I went quiet for a while over the summer, and I didn't release many songs. I took a lot of time out, and I evaluated both my music and my life. It was quite a big thing for me to be able to do that, and I realised that I was playing the victim far too often in my life. So I wrote what was a very different EP, and on that EP I didn't play the victim anymore. I took a look at my own failings in life, and I realised that I could often be at fault too. This song comes from that EP, and it addresses this point perfectly. This is called "Take The Blame."

The crowd cheer the newer song from Katie, which had reached the top of the charts in the second half of last year, and she walks to the front of the stage without a guitar, instead holding a tambourine in her hand. She counts out four beats on it, and the stage is washed in a glorious blue by the screens behind her, just as a synth intro comes in, followed by a slow but steady bass line, and then a mid paced guitar riff on an acoustic. All the time, Katie swings her shoulders slowly, as she taps out the beat on her tambourine, and waves to the cheering crowd.
The song is a lot more folksy than her debut album, but from the ease with which Katie seems to sail through it, letting the words slide out of her mouth like liquid velvet, and swaying nonchalantly as she really blends her body with the emotion, it is clear to see that this is the kind of music she has always wanted to record.
The track itself is quite fast and full of energy, whilst still managing to be ambient and quiet. The true folk mix of the guitar with the tambourine gives it a real feel of authenticity, as do Katie's vocals, which sound different somehow. They sound a lot more genuine, as she really gets into the more honest lines, full of imagery and suggestiveness that her debut was sorely missing, in her own opinion.

Just like a bird she flies, so high and all alone//
The names still hurt her now, just like the sticks that broke her bones//
Just try to fight, to fight, but she still feels the pain inside//
The stab wounds in her back weep like the eyes set in her mind//

Why d'you try to fight it, you were not invited//
Don't blame it all on us, you couldn't see what you ignited//
We all tried to warn you//
We gave you someone to crawl to//
Shoulder your own shame//
And take the blame//

Katie takes a swig of water, and walks to the front of the stage again, flanked by her band on either side of the stage.
"So...I was told it was supposed to be 2 or 3 songs here today...but I couldn't help myself. It's been too long right? I was going to play one more after that, but, I feel like we might need something really poppy! This is a festival after all. Do we want to hear something happier?"
The crowd cheer and Katie smiles at them. She throws her bottle of water down to the crowd, and says something to the guitarist standing beside her.
"Right okay then. Before we get all happy and smiley again, let me tell you all a story. When Nicole Woods died recently, I felt so very alone and unable to feel anything positive at all. I just cried and cried all day. And then I went back to try to rekindle what I had with Andrea Mason...the girl I realise now that I love more than anything else in the entire world. She rejected me. That genuinely broke my heart, and at that point, I was honestly making plans to take my own life. I can't shirk away from the fact that I had planned to come here today and end everything on this stage. I don't know how I was going to do it, but it was my genuine belief that I would, right here on this stage.
But everything's changed now. I got back with Andrea, and everything feels right once more. This song is dedicated to Andrea. I love you so much forever. This is called "Less Than Three". Let me see you dance out there!"

For a few seconds, there is a hushed sort of eerie silence washing over the crowd, unsure of what to make of that fact that the singer has just aired her intentions, albeit expired, to kill herself on stage. Katie seems oblivious to this though, as she walks over to the side of the stage, kissing Andrea, who is stood at the side of the stage with her arms folded. She then wanders back to the front of the stage, and nods to her drummer who counts in the four quick beats to start the track.
The song starts with a happy type guitar riff on acoustic, accompanied by a tapping drum beat, played on the rim of the snare drum instead of the skin. As the opening riff, a really catchy type summery track plays, Katie dances and wiggles her hips, really playing up to the audience, trying to encourage them all to dance. The lights behind her flash like an 80's disco, a veritable pallet of colours flashing and dancing in time to the infectious riff, and Katie doing the same.
Her vocals in this track sound bright and airy, as she lifts the microphone from it's stand and dances around the stage whilst singing, looking like she hasn't a care in the world. She shakes her hair, whistles, and prances as the crowd on the floor really start to get into the song, catching onto the happiness of the girl on the stage.
By the time the song reaches its middle point, it appears that people in the crowd have forgotten about Katie's suicidal admittance from earlier, as they dance vibrantly along to the happy, chirpy summer-sounding song.
The screen at the side of the stage cuts to the crowd at one point, and a girl flashes her chest at the camera, causing Katie to laugh and then cheer into the microphone. "That was just lovely," she says, before winking at the girl.
For the rest of the song, as the band play through it with a polite airiness that has all the charm and delight of a great festival song, Katie continues to dance around. It's quite clear that she feels very at home on a stage now. The place had never been all that kind to her in the past, but tonight, tonight she felt like she had won so far. This felt like the only place in the world she wanted to be.

Cos baby tell me… is it 1 or 2?
Just rate your love for me
It must be one of those numbers
If it’s less than 3
Though they might say it’s madness
I’m devoid of all sadness
When I have you next to me



By the time the end of the song came about, the fans were almost singing the chorus louder than Katie. At one point, she even stopped and just marvelled at how loud they were singing back at her, smiling and applauding them, allowing her audience to do her job momentarily. As the song finished, Katie bowed exaggeratedly and waved to the crowd, before skipping off to the side of the stage triumphantly, a big grin on her face. The crowd chanted her name, most convinced that her set was complete. Katie stands to the side and coughs, before standing back in front of her mic once more.

Mrs Appleford's Snowdrops

"Are we all alive enough for one more out there?"

A cheer cries out once more and Katie beams the wide, warm smile that has encapsulated the crowd so far. She waves a little at some people screaming her name at the top of their lungs in the front row, and clears her throat.

"If you follow me on Twitter...you'll be aware that I made a promise earlier today. That promise was that I was going to tell you some album details tonight right here on this stage. So here goes, don't say Katie doesn't deliver on her promises. My new album will be out some time around the first weekend in April. I don't have an exact date yet, but it will be some time then. I promise that much.
"The title of the album, as a lot of people know, is partly dedicated to my two best friends, Nadia Berry, and Ryan Ross Hernandez, who plays after me tonight. These two have helped me through a lot, and I have cryptically included sections from both of their careers into this album title. I love you both so much. My album is going to be entitled Open Hearts, Closed Minds and Panic Attacks. This next song is the first song I wrote for the new album, it was also on my EP. It's about an old lady I knew when I was in Ireland, and it's about the sort of love you feel that you know will never die.
"I want to dedicate this song to Ryan and Nadia. This is Mrs Appleford's Snowdrops

Katie smiles out to the audience one more time before she taps out four beats on the body of her guitar.

"If you know the words then please sing along."

She starts to play the slow song, as she closes her eyes and sways her head gently from side to side. As she opens her mouth to sing, the words are brilliantly framed by an echo effect on her microphone, which appears to carry her words for miles, through the stadium, up into the clouds and across the moonlit sky. It is clear from the emotive look on her face that this song means a lot to Katie. Her dulcet tones and lone guitar are all that are needed to make this song what it is. There is no foot tapping or jumping around like she has been doing on the previous tracks, as she just sways ever so gently back and forth.
Her emotions can clearly be felt by those in attendance as well. Some stand with their lighters held high above their heads as they watch on, while others just marvel in the true emotion pouring out of the youngster who stands high above them, letting everything she feels in her heart wash over her audience.
As the song reaches its crescendo, Katie opens her eyes at last, smiling out at the crowd, looking to side stage and then back at the front. When she sings the final few words of the last chorus, she plays one last slow strum on the guitar and bows ever so slightly.

"London, you guys have been truly magnificent. I love you all. Thank you ever so much."

Katie walks off the stage, waving as she goes, as the crowd cheer and cry out her name.

Mrs Appleford plants her snowdrops in December//
She says she wants to see a blossom on those cold, cold days//
Casting her mind back to the summer she remembers//
The love still so strong in her heart which she had torn away//
She said that she will never let the years force her to forget//
The man she once loved who taken so abruptly away//
Time can be a healer but it can also haze and it won't let//
Us remember those who we will all see again one day//

The sun shone down on the two so bright//
So full of desire and happiness they stood side by side//
A love so strong it made the heart ignite//
It shone from beaming smiles to make them warm inside//
He said "No matter if the rain falls, I'll always come for you//
And when the snow falls I'll plough right on through//
If it's raining in life, I'll be your shield, and I'll protect you//
And when the snow falls I'll plough right on through"//

Naked On Paper

With the cheering and chanting starting to die down, all of a sudden the screens at the back flash a bright white, and then change to a wonderful vibrant pink colour.
Just at that, Katie Coyle walks back onto the stage, waving a hand high above her head, really beginning to soak up the atmosphere. She is drenched in pure adulation, and she loves every second of it. Walking to the lead mic, with a guitar strapped on her shoulder again, she smiles and addresses the crowd eventually, having stood stock still for around half a minute.

"You know, the last year been so crazy for me," she said, with the crowd cheering her. "I've had some tough times, but I'm not here to talk about that. The real best moments of my life have been brought to me by guitars, stages, and people enjoying what I love doing. You guys have done just that. You have made me and my songs a success. I could never have dreamed that I would achieve what I have over the past year. So thank you.
She pauses and clears her throat.
"Around this time last year, I sat down with Eric Quillington and wrote a song. This is that song, the one which kick started everything. Some days I still can't believe how many copies I sold, and I'm so humbled by that. This is called Naked on Paper.

The euphoric cheer which greets her last sentence almost knocks Katie backwards, and she looks around astounded at her band. A slow, haunting keyboard melody plays over the PA, as Katie looks side to side, and smiles at the crowd, waving to them and throwing a guitar pick into the front row, taking another one quickly from her microphone stand and getting ready for her part of the intro.
The drummer counts in four quick beats, and Katie plays the now iconic quirky and catchy guitar intro, finger picking it as she bobs her head happily in time, and looking out over the swaying masses who have waited to hear this massive track all day. The massive swell of noise as soon as she starts to play it is deafening. This track has become her signature, the biggest selling song of all time, and has really sky rocketed Katie's career. She bounces softly on the balls of her feet as she begins to sing, although she would be as well not singing, as her own first line is drowned out by a quite unbelievable unified voice from the Wembley crowd. Katie holds a hand up in salute to them for singing so fervently, and smiles to her tour manager, quite unable to fathom the response.
She continues to bob slowly through the verses and rocks side to side as she sings the choruses, for the duration of the song, lapping up the reaction that this song, her own song, is receiving from those in attendance. At about the midway point, she signals for the music to be cut, and conducts the crowd in a singing of the chorus, without her, without any music, and she can't help but display a grin which would light up any room, such is the honesty and the true happiness behind it.

"You might not have noticed, but I'm heavily pregnant. Forgive me if I get emotional," she says, as she wipes a tear from her eye, listening to the crowd sing the song back to her.

And now I’m naked on paper, I’m
Exposed to the world
It’s a hopeless situation, and
I’m just a hopeless girl, oh so
Naked on paper
Why can’t you see all the pain, oh
My mind is like a pavement
Weather beaten in the rain



The song draws to a close, and once again, the stage goes dark, leaving only Katie and her guitar in the spotlight. She sings the chorus one last time, strumming her guitar slowly, and then playing a slow paced finger picking progression, and throwing her guitar pick into a crowd now making monumental noise for the youngster. She hands her guitar to a roadie, and walks back to the front. She bows to her crowd one more time and blows a few kisses.

"Thank you so much London. I love you guys from the bottom of my heart. I'll see you again real soon." She waves once more and then leaves the stage, which is then draped in darkness once more. The crowd continue to chant her name.